Receptacle



'March 11,1958 J. D. DAVIS 2,826,338

RECEPTACLE Filed March '25, 19 54 United States Patent RECEPTACLE JohnD. Davis, Chicago, 111., assignor to Simoniz Company, a corporation ofDelaware Application March 25, 1954, Serial No. 418,505

1 Claim. (Cl. 222-129) This invention relates to a receptacle and moreparticularly to a receptacle or container having a plurality of separatefluid-tight compartments.

It is sometimes desirable to have available or to package for sale twoor more different materials as a single unit. This has heretofore beendone by packaging each material in a separate receptacle or containerand then securing the receptacles together, as by putting them in acarton or by clipping individual containers together. In many instances,such a packaging arrangement is undesirable because of buyer resistanceto a double unit package chance of separation, handling problems or thelike.

An example of a situation where simultaneous sale of two materials isdesirable is found with certain liquid automobile polishes where theprior use of a cleaner is highly desirable. Inasmuch as there are manycombined cleaners and polishes which do not require the use of aseparate cleaner, a substantial portion of the buying public does notrealize that with some liquid polishes a prior cleaning operation isnecessary. As a result, such polishes are sometimes used Without propercleaning, giving an inferior job and leaving the customer dissatisfied.readily apparent that it is desirable to package both the polish and thecleaner together in such a situation, in order to insure their saletogether. It is, however, preferable to do this by means of a singleouter container both to emphasize the impression that only a singlepurchase is being made, and to simplify packing and handling problems.

, I have devised and disclose and claim herein a novel receptacle inwhich two or more fluid materials may be packaged.

It is p 11A feature of' the invention is the provision of a rea ceptacle comprising'a housing and means Within the housing dividing theinterior thereof into a plurality of fluidtight portions, there being aplurality of openings in the housing communicating with the portions.Another feature is the provision of a receptacle comprising a fluidtightouter casing, means within the casing dividing the interior thereof intoa pair of independent fluid-tight chambers, and pouring meanscommunicating with each ofthe chambers.

A further feature is that a partition or divider is provided within anouter container, dividing the interior into two liquid-tight chambers.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of a receptaclecomprising an outer container and an inner container within the outercontainer and forming a fluid-tight chamber therein, there beingopenings in the outer container communicating with the interior of bothof said containers. Yet a further feature is the provision of an outerliquid-tight container of sheet metal having a top portion with openingstherethrough and an inner container of sheet metal within said outercontainer and defining a liquid-tight chamber therein, the innercontainer having a top portion with an opening therein, both topportions being secured together with the opening in the inner containerin register with one of the openings in the outer container.

v "ice Yet another feature is the provision of a receptacle which mayfor example be of plastic, comprising a first seg ment including a sidewall and a portion of each of opposite end walls and a center web and asecond segment complementary to the first and including another sidewall and portions of each of the opposite end walls and center web, thesecond segment sealingly engaging the first to form a fluid-tightmulticompartment container.

Still another feature is the method of assembling a multicompartmentreceptacle comprising forming the side wall and bottom of an outercontainer, securing an inner container to an end member of the outercontainer, as the top thereof, and assembling such end member to theside walls.

Further features and advantages will readily be ap-' parent from thefollowing specification and from the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a receptacle embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section of one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of a preferred embodiment of theinvention;

Figure 4 is a transverse section of a modification of the invention;

Figure 5 is a transverse section of another modification of theinvention; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of Figure 3.

As pointed out above, it is desirable that the complete package orreceptacle have the appearance of a single unit. As may be seen inFigure 1, the receptacle 10 has such an appearance. The receptacle 10 ispreferably of a sheet metal material such as steel and has a side wallportion 11, a top 12 and a bottom 13. The top and bottom may be securedto the side portion 11 in any suitable mannor as by crimping, to providea fluid-tight seal.

As will appear more fully later, means are provided within the outerhousing or container to divide it into a pair of independent fluid-tightchambers. The only external indication that the receptacle 10 isdifferent from a conventional can is the provision of two pouring spouts14 and 15 in the top portion 12 thereof. Pouring spouts 14 and 15 arethreaded and are provided with threaded closure members or caps 14a and15a. Preferably, the pouring spouts 14 and 15 are of different diametersas shownin the drawings in order to facilitateidentification of the di'fferent compartments within the receptacle. Furthermore, the spouts arepreferably of the same height to facilitate stacking of the receptacles,as on a retailers shelf.

Referring now to Figure 2, it is seen that side wall 11 of thereceptacle is sealingly engaged by top 12 and bottom 13 by means ofcrimps 12a and 13a, respectively. The interior of the receptacle isdivided into two separate fluid-tight chambers 16 and 17 by a centralsheet metal panel 18 which is sealed to the side wall 11, top 12 andbottom 13 as by solder joints 19. Openings 12b and 12c in the topportion 12 communicate-with chambers 16 and 17 respectively and areprovided with pouring spouts 14 and 15. Preferably, for use in packagingliquid automobile cleaner and polish, the chambers 16 and 17 are ofunequal size, inasmuch as a larger quantity of cleaner is necessary thanof polish. Thus, in the receptacle of Figure 2, the smaller chamber 16contains polish, while the larger chamber 17 contains cleaner.

Obtaining a suitable fiuid-tight seal between the central panel 18 andthe side walls, top and bottom of the re ceptacle illustrated in Figure2 presents some difficulties in manufacture with automatic machinery aspresently known. In Figure 3, a form of the invention preferred formanufacture by automatic machinery is illustrated; and

like portions ofthc receptacle will be given reference numerals'higher'than previously used.

The receptacle includes an outer container having side walls 21 and atop 22 and bottom 23 sealingly engaged therewith by crimped flanges 22aand 230, respectively. An inner container 26 is provided, which likewiseincludes side wall .27 top portion 28 and bottom portion 29 with the topand bottom crimped to the side wall at 23a and 29a respectively, toprovide a fiuid-tight seal. Top 22 of the outer container is againprovided with a pair of openings 22b and 22c therein providing access tothe interior of the container. Similarly, top member 28 of theinnercontainer $26 is provided with an opening 23b. .is inner containeris secured to top portion 22 of the outer container, as by soldering at30, so that openings 22b and 21% are in register, allowing communicationwith the interior of the inner container (Figure 6). Pouring spouts 24and areprovided as in Figure 2.

The receptacle of Figure 3 is preferably assembled in the followingmanner. First, its separate units are prepared, one comprising theformed side wall 21 and bottom portion 23 of the outer container and theother comprising top portion 22 with inner container 26, including spout24, suitably secured thereto. The top portion 22, with inner container26 secured thereto is then properly positioned on side wall 21 and crimp22a formed in a suitable manner to complete the assembly.

Figure 4 shows a modification of the invention in which a resilient,deformable web 40 is inserted into the container defined'by side wall41, dividing it into two separate chambers 42 and 43. Web 40 ispreferably of rubber or a suitable synthetic plastic material withsuflicient resiliency to form a liquid-tight seal with the side wall,top and bottom of the outer container. Web 40 has an appreciablethickness as of the order of one-fourth of an inch and maybe insertedinto the receptacle after the side wall 41 and either the top or bottomare assembled. Then the remaining element (bottom or top, respectively)may be added.

A further modification is shown in Figure 5 where the receptacle isformed of a molded, heat sealed, plastic material. In this embodiment ofthe invention, the receptacle comprises a first segment 50 including aside wall 51, a portion of end walls 52 and 53 and a portion of a centerweb 54. A second complementary segment 50:: includes a second side wall51a and portions of end walls 52a and 53a and web 54a. After thesegments 50 and 50a are molded individually, they may be sealed togetheralong central plane 55 to provide a unitary fluid-tight multicompartmentcontainer. It will be understood that the top (not shown) would haveneck portions defining separate pouring openings analogous to those ofthe metal containers shown in the earlier described figures.

Although my invention has been specifically described as used forpackaging automobile cleaner and polish, many other uses are readilyapparent. The following are illustrative of the variety of productswhich might advantageously be packaged together: vinegar and oil; nailpolish and remover; shampoo and cream rinse; home permanent wavesolution and neutralizer; bleach and bluing; two or more lubricatingoils; soup and coffee for Army field rations.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, itis to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changestherefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made Withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in theappended claim.

I claim:

A receptacle of the character described, comprising: an outerliquid-tight container of sheet metal having a sheet metal top portionwith a pair of openings therein, there being a downturned flange aboutone of said openings; an inner container of sheet metal within .saidouter container and defining a liquid-tight chamber therein, said innercontainer having a sheet metal top portion with an opening therein,there being an upturned flange about said opening; a spout secured tothe outside of said upturned flange and projecting out through said oneof the openings in the top portion of said outer container and havingthe downturned flange secured to the outside thereof, the top portionsof both containers being held securely together; and a spout secured tothe other of said pair of openings and communicating only with theinterior of said outer container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 59,833Gilmore Nov. 20, 1866 975,939 Edwards Nov. 15, 1910 1,238,195 Ritz Aug.28, 1917 1,310,516 Xardell July 22, 19.19 2,111,954 Urbany Mar. 22, 19382,316,116 Thompson et al. Apr. 6, 1943 2,321,998 Crouch et al June 15,1943 2,469,856 Robertson May 10, 1949 2,504,677 Fraser et al. Apr. 18,1950 2,628,673 Ericson Feb. 17, 1953 2,661,870 Huenergardt Dec. 8, .1953

